Mock Draft 2.0: Highlighting team needs for the lottery

The 2022 NBA Draft presents a series of conundrums to every NBA team. Should they draft for upside or proven production? Blue-chip prospects or late bloomers? Perhaps most importantly and difficult of all, should they draft for need or “BPA” – that is, the best player available?

There is a fair argument to be made from both sides of the debate. Drafting best player available irregardless of position is why the Cleveland Cavaliers have Darius Garland as the centerpiece of their young core, one year after drafting Collin Sexton. It’s why the Philadelphia 76ers now have Joel Embiid, undeterred by taking Nerlens Noel previously.

Unfortunately, it’s also why the 76ers took Jahlil Okafor, another center, a year after taking Embiid. It’s why the Sacramento Kings felt pressure to trade a guard last trade deadline (ultimately shipping out Tyrese Haliburton) because they took a third “point guard” in Davion Mitchell last summer.

Teams must balance their roster needs with choosing the best player available in the 2022 NBA Draft. What are lottery teams looking for next month?

Welcome back to Mock Draft Monday! Let’s roll out Mock Draft 2.0 and take a close look at the team needs of every squad in the lottery. What positions on their roster are already well-stocked, and which specifically need to be addressed? Not every team in the lottery can or should take roster needs into consideration, but if they do the lottery could play out something like what follows.

For this version, we used Tankathon to randomize the draft order, which saw a few teams make the leap into the Top 4.